Previews

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

Spiffy:

The familiars¿ abilities seem like they add a lot to the combat system.

Iffy:

Still hard to tell if the exploration elements will be on point.

Curse of Darkness might just be the game that brings Castlevania to 3D with style. Its predecessor, Lament of Innocence almost did the trick. The combat was great, and it totally captured all the right elements of the 2D games. What was missing was the element of exploration that games like Symphony of the Night and Circle of Darkness brought to the series. The game was more linear than many fans would have hoped, which in turn made it only halfway realize their wishes.

Here's a disclaimer: the demo area on display at TGS is largely a linear affair. My opening statement about Curse doing good by the series' legacy in 3D is pretty much wishful thinking. The fact that the combat is so excellent just makes the thought of the other half not being up to snuff just that much more heartbreaking. As you may already know, "Innocent Devils" factor heavily into Curse of Darkness' gameplay. They're basically little familiars that you acquire as you explore the castle, and as you have them fight alongside you, they'll gain experience, level up, and broaden their catalog of powers. Unlike the familiars in certain previous games, though, you actually have a measure of control over what the Curse's devils do -- you activate whatever power they have "equipped" by hitting the triangle button. Most of these are combat related -- like the fairy's heal, or the bird-thing's shower of daggers -- but others seem to be more traversal-oriented; the bird-thing's primary ability, for instance, taxis you across vast distances, like, say, gaping, abyssal chasms.

The star of the Curse is undoubtedly the little magician familiar whose acquaintance you make about halfway through it. If you've seen what black mages look like in the Final Fantasy universe, then imagine one flying around some Alucard-like guy, and hurling little motes of electricity at skeletons. That's our "mage" familiar, and he packs some serious heat. He had three cool abilities at his disposal, and made very god use of them. First, he can stop time, mimicking the effect of the classic "stopwatch" item from the Castlevania series. I put this to great effect when battling a winged demon who just refused to stand still. He also this crazy chain lighting ability that made quick work of the trio of armored skeletons that spawned right after him. Finally, my personal favorite: an electrified ring that he casts around you, which shreds anything that you come into contact with.